Holyscapes
The other day I went for a walk along a high bluff overlooking the Fraser River. I stumbled upon a pioneer cemetery that included several graves of indigenous people and priests from the missionary order of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The Order had also established a small shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes, and hundreds of Catholics were celebrating Mass on her feast day. I found this statue and was immediately moved. It was unclear if it had been intentionally situated in the ground, or if it had been toppled from a nearby tombstone. Christ seems to be sinking into the green earth. It speaks of both beauty and pain. It embodies the deep uncertainty about how our impact on the planet will play out over the next 100 years. I certainly hope it is not too late.
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